John Wilkes Booth, a name forever etched in American history as the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, met his own demise shortly after his infamous act on April 14, 1865. His journey from Ford’s Theatre to his final resting place is a tale of escape, capture, and clandestine burials. While Booth was a celebrated actor in his time, his grave is far from a grand monument, reflecting the complex and controversial legacy he left behind. Today, the question of “John Wilkes Booth Grave” leads many to a quiet corner of a Baltimore cemetery, seeking a tangible connection to this dark chapter in American history.
Following his desperate leap from the presidential box onto the Ford’s Theatre stage, Booth, despite a broken leg sustained in the fall, managed to flee. Shouting “Sic semper tyrannis!”, he escaped through Maryland and into Virginia. During his time on the run, Booth received medical attention for his fractured leg from Dr. Samuel Mudd, a figure later implicated in the conspiracy. Booth and co-conspirator David Herold sought refuge in swamps for nearly a week, evading federal forces. However, their escape was short-lived. On April 26th, federal officers cornered them in a tobacco barn.
When Booth refused to surrender, even as the barn was set ablaze, Sergeant Thomas P. “Boston” Corbett shot him as he emerged, gun in hand. Corbett claimed he intended only to disarm Booth, but the bullet proved fatal. John Wilkes Booth died a few hours later on the porch of a nearby farmhouse. His body was then shrouded in a horse blanket and transported back to Washington, D.C., via the Potomac River. At the Navy Yard, an autopsy was performed to confirm his identity, relying partly on a tattoo of his initials on his wrist.
Booth’s initial burial was within the walls of the Old Penitentiary, alongside his fellow conspirators who met their fate on the gallows. In 1867, his remains were exhumed and reinterred within the Penitentiary grounds. Finally, in 1869, the Booth family was granted release of his body after a third exhumation. They transported him to Baltimore, the city where he had spent his youth.
Baltimore’s Green Mount Cemetery became John Wilkes Booth’s ultimate resting place, within the Booth family plot. The plot is easily identifiable thanks to a prominent obelisk dedicated to Junius Brutus Booth, his father. However, in contrast to his father’s imposing monument, there is no elaborate headstone for John Wilkes Booth. His brother, Edwin Booth, a renowned actor himself, and the rest of the family believed that a conspicuous marker would only invite unwanted attention and potential vandalism. Therefore, visitors today are directed to a small, simple, and unmarked stone, widely believed to be the john wilkes booth grave.
Interestingly, some speculate that the white stone is actually the marker for Asia Booth Clarke, John Wilkes Booth’s sister. Regardless of the stone’s true inscription, or lack thereof, visitors have developed a unique tradition at the site. Instead of flowers, they leave pennies on the headstone, a symbolic gesture suggesting giving Lincoln the “final word” even in death. This quiet, understated grave of John Wilkes Booth stands as a poignant reminder of a tumultuous period in American history, inviting reflection and continued fascination.
